Region

You are here

#RU486now

By:

Maureen Aslin

March 10, 2015

Women’s right to an established medical treatment for reproductive health is being denied. Harper’s Tories are attempting to appease their party base by allowing Health Canada to delay the imminent approval of RU-486 until after the fall election.

RU-486 is a pill (medical abortion) that women can take to induce a miscarriage, effectively aborting in early pregnancy. There are other similar drugs currently in use in Canada but RU-486 is significantly more effective and can be used at least weeks weeks later in the gestation period, up to nine weeks.

The Globe and Mail’s op-ed favouring Health Canada approval of RU-486 states:
“Mifepristone has been approved in 60 countries, including the US and most of Europe, and has been used routinely for years. Multiple studies have demonstrated that it is safe and effective. There are serious side effects and risks, including that of death, but they are extremely rare. According to one study, the risk of death is lower than that associated with many popular over-the-counter and prescription drugs, including acetaminophen and Viagra.”

Health Canada has requested more information from the manufacturer, thereby guaranteeing that RU-486’s inevitable approval will not tar the pre-election landscape for the Tories and their anti-choice backers.

OCAC will be hosting a special showing of Vessel, Wednesday March 25, 7pm at the Steelworkers Hall (25 Cecil St, Toronto). It documents the amazing story of Women on Waves and Women on Web and the global movement that is using new technologies to bypass anti-abortion laws and train women to give themselves safe abortions using WHO-sanctioned protocols with pills.